Michael Lesher’s Quantum Leap

In my recent piece, I explored the quantum nature of the Kosher Trinity - - I contend that contemporary Jewish identity is shaped like a tri-polar magnetic field in which one pole is religion, one is race and the third is politics and culture. When Jewish politics and culture are criticised (Israel, Zionism, the Lobby, banking, media etc.) some Jews claim to be ‘racially offended’ despite the fact that race, biology, blood or ethnicity was never mentioned. When Jewish racism is subject to criticism (choseness, Israeli race laws, etc.) some Jews are affronted by a perceived attack on their religion. When some obscene Jewish religious teaching is disparaged, many Jews are quick to assert that opposition to their religion is a crude form of racial intolerance.

Jewish Identity politics operates as a quantum leap--an evasive identity that is morphing constantly. It moves rapidly within this Kosher Trinity field, it is everywhere and nowhere. The Kosher Trinity makes it very difficult, or even impossible to criticise Jewish politics, culture, ideology or religion. The Kosher Trinity allows Jews to boast about their cultural symptoms and great achievements while claiming offense when any of these symptoms are discussed by others. This quantum model is set to suppress any possible dissent to Jewish politics and culture but it also denies to the Jews themselves the necessary ability to self reflect, for Jewish self-identity is also blind to itself.

Today we will examine how the Kosher Trinity is utilised in the campaign to stifle criticism of Israel, its ideological roots and Jewish culture, ideology and power.

Jewish institutions and individuals make every effort to suppress debate on Israel and Jewish power, media and political institutions. In Britain, the Labour Party has been pulled into a vile purge campaign. Hundreds of the party’s members have been suspended and expelled in the last year for airing views on Israel that didn’t fit within the official Zionist narrative. In Britain and other European countries, political institutions have increasingly adopted the “IHRA working definition of antisemitsm” that, again, is designed to block any possible meaningful debate on Jewish politics, culture, ideology and religion.

If Jewish power is the power to stifle any discussion of Jewish power, then the Kosher Trinity is the means that sustains this power. But is the Kosher Trinity just a Zionist domain? Not at all. In October 2012, the Jewish Anti Zionist media outlet Mondoweiss changed its comment policy and essentially banned discussion of Jewish culture and religion. “From here on out, the Mondoweiss comment section will no longer serve as a forum to pillory Jewish culture and religion as the driving factors in Israeli and US policy,” were Philip Weiss’ exact words. Weiss committed his site to the suppression of the study of Jewish religion and culture. Just like most ultra Zionist institutions, Mondoweiss followed the Jewish quantum strategy and shoved all possible criticism of Jewish religion, ideology and politics into the no-go box.

I had hoped that orthodox Judaism, as an isolationist culture, would defy the Kosher Trinity. Rabbinical Jews are defined by their adherence to the Talmud, and one would think that this would help them transcend beyond contemporary Israeli and Jewish politics. The orthodox are defined by Torah and Mitzvoth, they have even rejected the Darwinism and biologism that have become intrinsic to secular Jewish political discourse and institutions.

I recently came across a disturbing article by Michael Lesher in the Zionist Times of Israel. Lesher is an orthodox Jew who supports Palestine and human rights and has even exposed sex crimes in orthodox Jewish society. Lesher and I shared a platform a few months ago at my book event in NYC and I have published two of his articles at his request. But I was greatly surprised to learn from Lesher’s article that when it comes to criticism of Jewish culture and politics, he has clear red lines that are not any different from those dictated by Zionists and their ‘anti’ brethren at Mondoweiss. Lesher, as we will see, also adheres to the principles of the Kosher Trinity.

Lesher claims to have had enough of “advocates for Palestinians that read like pages torn from an old copy of Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” He is “fed up with the anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.” However an examination of what Lesher considers to be ‘anti Jewish theories’ points to some intense magnetic activity in Lesher’s Trinity field.

Lesher proclaims that he won’t tolerate attacks on his “religious life just because they come wrapped in a Palestinian flag.” This seems to be a legitimate demand. I wouldn’t like to see anyone interfering with Lesher or anyone else’s religious life. Lesher even ends his paper with a Dershowitz style threat to the unruly Goyim: “I will not be asked to choose between Judaism and justice. If any of you expect me to make that choice — expect trouble.”

Interestingly, none of the quotes in Lesher’s article posited any form of interference or threat to Lesher’s ‘religious life.’ No quote proposed that Lesher make an ethical choice that might even suggest dropping his religion.

If you wonder what is that Lesher is reacting to, here it comes: “I will not discuss,” says Lesher “whether all Jews are racists who seek ‘world domination’; whether Israel is just the most visible fruit of ‘Jewish power’; whether the Talmud consists entirely of ‘tools and techniques’ for lording it over ‘the Goyim’; or whether ‘Jewish ideology’ is behind every Israeli crime.”

I wonder how the topics he refers to affect Lesher’s spiritual universe. Does Lesher want to convince us that these questions prevent him from practicing the Sabbath, interfere with his slaughtering chickens ahead of Yom Kippur or putting on tefilin every morning? I asked Lesher to address this specific question amongst others. What I received in return was a lengthy text (9 pages) that is primarily a complaint that I dared to ask him such questions.

Lesher is upset by ‘a Palestinian supporter’ stating that “the state of Israel is the real root of all the violence in the world.” He is also offended by statements such as:

“ Rothschilds and George Soros govern us all.”

“Israel will never be defeated unless international Jewry is defeated.”

“[W]e are now demanding an exposure of the supremacy and racism within Jewish ideology.”

Lesher describes such thoughts as nothing but ‘dreck’ (excrement –Yiddish). The fact that an orthodox Jew believes that he is in a position to determine or even recommend the appropriate boundaries of criticism of the Jewish State is in itself both amusing and clear evidence of Lesher’s adherence to Jerusalem (as opposed to Athens). Like many other Jewish solidarity campaigners, Lesher, seems to believe that the discourse of solidarity with the oppressed should be shaped by the sensitivities of the oppressor.

Why is Lesher, as an ‘anti Zionist’ orthodox Jew, so bothered by statements critical of Jewish culture, Jewish ideology and politics? Why does he care about other Jews (Rothschilds and Soros) being criticised?

The Kosher Trinity quantum model offers a possible answer. When you criticise Jewish politics, Ideology and culture Lesher takes it as attack on his race and his religion. This reaction is not exclusive to Lesher. Most Jews find it difficult if not impossible to understand where exactly their religion ends and their politics start. In fact, there is no such demarcation line in Judaism, for in Judaism (like in Islam) the religio and the civil are integrated. Most Jews also have trouble integrating Judaic racial orientation with liberal politics. While orthodox rabbinical Jews choose segregation, Lesher’s intolerance is identical to the Zionist solution, that is; a crude attempt at suppression of all forms of criticism of Jewish culture, ideology and politics.

I have tried to handle my disagreement with Lesher with care. But as time has passed, I have learned more about Zionist duplicity from those Jews who claim to be ‘anti’ then those who are ardent supporters of Jewish nationalism.

Despite my disagreements with Lesher I respect him, however, he may want to sex up his trinity...